LAS VEGAS – Mark Sears scored 24 points and No. 9 Alabama beat Rutgers 95-90 on Wednesday night at the Players Era Festival at MGM Grand Garden.

Rutgers got within two points with 1:28 left, but five free throws sealed the victory for the Crimson Tide (6-1).

Grant Nelson had 17 points and nine rebounds for Alabama, while Mouhamed Dioubate, Jarin Stevenson and Derrion Reid each scored 10 points.

Dylan Harper led Rutgers (5-2) with a career-high 37 points. Ace Bailey finished the game with 22 points and Jeremiah Williams added 10 points for the Scarlet Knights.

Takeaways

Rutgers: Harper, son of five-time NBA champion Ron Harper Sr., continued his impressive start to his college career with his seventh straight double-digit performance. The freshman point guard from New Jersey is averaging 24.5 points per game so far.

Alabama: After blowing a six-point lead midway through the first half and falling behind by five points, the Crimson Tide got a boost from their bench as their reserves outscored Rutgers 15-5 in the first half. Alabama’s bench finished with a 38-6 lead.

Key moment

Just moments after Rutgers’ Jordan Derkack’s failed dunk attempt, Sears forgot to drive the lane during the ensuing fast break and instead drained a 3-pointer to give Alabama a 56-53 lead early in the second half to take the lead. From that point on, the Tide led.

Key statistics

2 – Rutgers, which came into the game shooting 35.2% from 3-point range, made just two of its 13 attempts from long range, a paltry 15.3%.

Next

Alabama plays Oregon in the championship game on Saturday and Rutgers faces No. 20 Texas A&M.

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